“Don’t do what you think will make them happy. Do what will make you happy.”

Overdrive recommended this new release to me, because Overdrive knows me pretty damn well by this point. I listened to the audiobook, and loved it. I can’t believe I haven’t heard more hype about this one, but it did just come out in May. Judging by Goodreads, I’m not the only one who loved it — I bet it hits a lot of YA lists this year.

Lily & Dunkin is the story of two eight graders, dealing with identity and family issues while trying to navigate the first few months of school. Lily Jo, born Timothy, has known since she was 5 that she’s actually a girl. She has the full support of her mother, sister and best friend to live as her true self, but her father can’t accept it — or allow her the hormone treatments that she desperately wants. And the boys at school are ruthless. Dunkin, whose actual name is Norbert Dorfman (poor kid) has recently moved to Florida to live with his mother and grandmother. He’s trying to figure out how to fit it, while dealing with some issues of his own that are revealed slowly throughout the novel. They form a tentative friendship, which gets threatened easily and often as they try to deal with the “Neanderthals” at school — bullies who pick on Lily, but revere Dunkin for his height (they’re basketball players).

I loved the story of these two kids, particularly the way that Dunkin’s own past gets revealed over time. At first he just seems like a guy for Lily to meet, but he quickly becomes his own person. In fact, most of the characters get pretty well developed personalities and backstories, which I always appreciate. Lily’s father, in particular, just broke my heart. He’s not some bigot yelling about his son wearing a dress — he’s terrified of his son getting injured physically (or otherwise) by a world that doesn’t understand. Watching his transformation over the course of the novel literally had me sniffling back tears by the end. It’s easy to like Lily’s sister and mother — they’re exactly who you’d want on your side when you tackle the world. Lily’s dad isn’t quite so likable at first, but he gets there in a spectacular way.

I also appreciated how well Gephart threw some humor in there — Dunkin’s exercise-obsessed grandmother cracked me up, and there’s a running gag about misprinted t-shirts.